Katie Quirk

Most everyone who has stepped into The Purple Onion coffee shop in Dinkytown has noticed William “Bill” Grimes IV, a regular for nearly a decade who whiles away the hours sipping mochas, reading Kierkegaard and science fiction, and “flapping with cats.” You can’t miss him: Grimes is a 6’3”, 170-pound man in his early 30s … Read more

Bill Parreault owes his life, or at least his current livelihood, to Big Tobacco. Of course, at his current rate of smoking two packs a day, the 62 year old may eventually also owe them his death. But he can’t quit. And judging from the number of cigarette butts he sweeps up during his daily … Read more

We battled it out for 17 hours at a teardrop-shaped table in a dimly lit conference room in Eagan. The three day seminar was called “Wings,” the hosts were employees of Northwest Airlines, the goal was to help students overcome their fear of flying. They came from all over—Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, and a few coastal … Read more